Because this term is shared between two meanings, an example being qaswara, which can refer either to an archer or to a lion. The Almighty says: “as though they were startled wild donkeys, fleeing from a qaswara” (al-Muddaththir 50–51). Wild asses dash off when they spot an archer, and domesticated asses do the same when they see a lion. Which, then, is meant here—archer or lion? Some scholars held that a lion is intended, while others said an archer; and since the wording can bear both senses without contradiction, the verse may be understood to encompass them both.

Likewise His oath, “By the night when it ʿasʿasa, and by the dawn when it breathes” (at-Takwir 17–18). Regarding ʿasʿasa, some say it means “departed,” others “approached”; the expression is open to either. If evidence prefers one meaning, we adopt it; otherwise, we affirm that the word includes both and is therefore comprehensive. In that case, God is swearing by the night both when it arrives and when it withdraws. Should we take ʿasʿasa as “approached,” it pairs neatly with “and by the dawn when it breathes,” which makes this rendering the stronger.

Another instance of homonymous wording is al-qurʾ, which may signify menstruation or the period of purity between menstrual cycles.

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Alternatively, the word may be inherently univocal yet, in context, refer to only one of two kinds or two entities—such as the pronouns in His saying, “Then he drew near and descended (7), and was at a distance of two bow-lengths, or even nearer” (al-Najm 8–9).

Explanation
The Almighty says, “possessed of formidable strength, and he rose (6), while he was on the highest horizon (7), then he drew near…”